Organisational Review 2015

The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) started as part of the International Polar Year (IPY) efforts to involve early career researchers in international polar science. As we continue to grow, we want to make sure that we are meeting the needs of our members. So it is time for APECS to do some self reflection. We want to find out what the polar community values and how APECS can continue to be a positive and productive force. An Organisational Review Committee (ORC) was set up to do a critical review of the organisation in order to develop a strategy for the development of the organisation in the coming years.

More information on the tasks of the Organisational Review Committee can be found in its Terms of Reference.

For more background on APECS, see this further information in PDF file.

If you have questions on the organisational review please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jose Xavier - British Antarctic Survey (UK) and University of Coimbra (Portugal)

The final report of the APECS Organisational Review Committee with recommendations for APECS' future development was published in October 2015. It will provide the basis for the APECS Strategic Plan 2016 - 2020 that will be published in early 2016.

For the first time in its history, the APECS Executive Committee decided that a critical review of the organization should be undertaken in order to develop a strategy for the development of the organization in the coming years. The ExCom appointed a committee to conduct this review, consisting of 8 people, both members and mentors of APECS.

The review consisted of informal interviews as well as a comprehensive survey of APECS members, mentors, and the wider polar community. The survey received over 200 responses from 29 different countries. After multiple virtual meetings, on the committee met in person alongside ASSW2015 in Toyama, Japan to discuss major results and outcomes of the survey and agree on recommendations for future strategic actions listed below.

Recommendations for APECS included:

Moving to a more project-based operational strategy

Consider new avenues of funding

Continuing to stimulate the interdisciplinary

Maintaining high standards of communication

Expanding the APECS membership

Focusing on core skill development and resource offerings

Making the APECS leadership more open and transparent

And considering future trends in polar research

To see more in-depth data from the survey, as well as the text of the survey itself, and more about the organization review process, please read the committee’s full report. APECS has already begun to implement recommendations from the committee (for example, in restructuring its Council). Continue to keep an eye out for more changes as APECS continues to innovate into the future. As always, if you have feedback for APECS, don’t hesitate to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!